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Summer may have finally reached B.C., but lingering snow on hiking trails in some parks across the province and Western Canada could spell disaster for careless outdoor enthusiasts.

June’s unusually cool weather left some of last winter’s snowpack intact in some high elevations, posing significant risks to hikers who are ill-equipped to handle the icy remnants. A pair of separate snow-related hiking accidents on Sunday on the North Shore left two injured, and glacier hazards still persist in some popular hiking haunts like B.C.’s Garibaldi Provincial Park and the Yoyo and Kootenay national parks, according to BC Parks and Parks Canada.

The majority of accidents occur during descents when hikers who are not trained or equipped for traversing snowfields try to negotiate the terrain, said Tim Jones, team leader for North Shore Rescue. The volunteer search and rescue group retrieved the two North Shore hikers this past weekend after a man and a woman separately tackled snowy trails without bringing along proper equipment. NSR volunteers had to respond to the calls, which took place within two hours of each other, when both hikers suffered injuries while attempting to descend steep snowfields.

“We’re lucky we didn’t get a fatality,” Jones said. “I’m surprised we haven’t have one yet. It’s not the snowpacks. It’s the people going up there. Snowpacks don’t become a hazard until people who are unprepared move in.”

Recent warm weather coupled with an influx of summer tourists has given rise to situations where lightly dressed hikers ascend dry trailheads, only to confront icy conditions during the climb and continue onward in spite of the difficult terrain, he explained.

“[Hikers] then trip or slip coming down the trail,” said Jones. “Then they fall and they go for “the ripper,” which is when they hit rocks or trees.”

Jones warned injuries that render hikers immobile — as in the North Shore case — can quickly become life-threatening because of environmental conditions and must not be taken lightly. Moreover, snowpacks will probably remain untouched in gullies, upper alpine areas shaded from the sun and southwest facing slopes from now through to next winter, he added.

Western Canada’s snowy winter and subsequent late spring likely played big roles in ensuring that conditions at upper elevations remain icebound, said Brian Webster, a visitors safety spokesman at Banff National Park.

“What this means is that it’s going to make hiking much more difficult,” he said. “The concern is that if you slide on snowy slopes, you might not be able to stop until you hit the bottom where the rocks are.”

Many of B.C.’s great hiking destinations have snow year-round, so it is necessarily to pack for icy terrain, said Brent Purves, founder and leader of the Chilliwack Hiking Club. It is always a good idea to be prepared for snow when hiking, said Purves, a 15-year B.C. hiking veteran.

“Wise hikers will always have appropriate gear [for] overnight or [clothing to] layer up if the weather changes unexpectedly,” he said.

North Shore Rescue’s Jones urged the public to hike responsibly when enjoying B.C.’s many trails, especially during the summer months, when the volunteer force experiences staff shortages. Hikers looking to venture beyond snowbound paths, in particular, need to ensure they have the necessary gear and training.

“At the minimum, sturdy hiking boots and an ice-axe,” he said. “But taking courses on how to [travel across] snowy terrain is also highly recommended.”

mvinkinlee@vancouversun.com

With a file from the North Shore News

After a second weekend spent plucking unprepared hikers from the North Shore’s mountains, rescuers have issued a stark warning: It’s only a matter of time before someone dies.

For the second time in the space of a week, North Shore Rescue volunteers had to respond to back-to-back calls Sunday involving hikers who had injured themselves while descending steep snowfields without proper gear.

“There’s going to be a fatality. I’m convinced about this,” said NSR team leader Tim Jones. “People are hiking in these areas in droves. and they’re not equipped. They don’t have the proper footwear, and they don’t have ice axes.”

Just before 3 p.m. Sunday, a woman hiking on a snowfield between Unnecessary Mountain and the Lions fell and struck a tree, injuring her chest, according to Jones. Rescuers rushed to the area by helicopter, and spotted the hiker and her friends on a nearby ridge. The pilot flew in close enough for rescue team members to haul the woman on board and fly her to safety.

Just two hours later, a man fell and injured his knee while coming down a snowfield in the same area. In this case, NSR flew the man out by long line to the Capilano Search and Rescue Station, where an ambulance was waiting for him.

Snowfields are particularly dangerous as they can be riddled with rocky outcrops and trees, Jones said.

“People really have to heed our advice here when they’re travelling in the higher alpine areas,” he said. “There’s still a ton of snow around. . . . Going with a light backpack and trail-runners doesn’t cut it.”

Follow us on Twitter:@nsnews.com

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Hiking in B.C. this summer? Watch out for snow

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